Every Day is Earth Day at HART!

Over 50 years ago, the first Earth Day was held around the country with over 20 million people participating in the event to create awareness and appreciation for the Earth's natural beauty. One day out of 365 days to appreciate the Earth and protect it. Shouldn't the Earth be a concern... every day? That's the thought process at HART. What we do naturally has a connection with "green", through taking cars off the road, reducing carbon emissions and providing for more walkable communities. 

In fact, the American Public Transportation (APTA), shows that public transportation saves the United States 4.2 billion gallons of gas annually and saves the U.S. $13.7 billion in congestion each year! As an organization, we feel it's necessary to be a responsible organization focused on environmental sustainability. That's why we don't just rest on the numbers above. HART has taken a number of steps to ensure that as an organization we are doing our part for the planet. With over 800 employees and 200+ vehicles, the meat and potatoes are in the waste that HART recycles during our day-to-day maintenance and operating of our organization.

Here are some of the steps that HART takes in regards to our fleet vehicles:

• The entire fleet is EPA-certified
  

• 

  HART operates 85 CNG buses

  Began fleet transition to cleaner-burner Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in 2014; currently operating 85 CNG vehicles
• Since 2014, the HART fleet has reduced Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 20%, the equivalent of removing over 3,000 cars off the road!
• Waste oil, used non-crushed oil filters, coolant, scrap metal, aluminium is all recycled
• Freon is reused after being captured by a reclaim system
• HART purchases recycled and environmentally-friendly coolants
• Use of synthetic oils, which extends the life of the oil and minimizes the number of times we have to drain it
• 80% recyclable vehicle wash systems

Steps HART takes in regards to our transit facilities:

• Waterless urinals and low-water consumption equipment are in place
• Solar film was installed at Marion Transit Center to improve cooling efficiency
• Motion sensor lights in restroom facilities
• Electric hand dryers
• Fluorescent bulbs are crushed; glass remains and mercury are recycled
• All chemicals and cleaners are green-certified
• Use of non-aerosol sprays
• No-VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paints that can have pretty serious health effects (liver/kidney damage)
• Bus shelters utilize solar panels for lighting
• All office paper, batteries, copier toner cartridges and electronic circuit boards are recycled

With over 800+ employees, 200+ vehicles, and 7.7 million miles traveled by our service vehicles last year, you can imagine just how much waste is recycled. 

HART also took the "LEED" during the renovation of our HART Operations Facility into a Leadership into Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. The redesign introduced a slew of new windows into the building, taking advantage of natural lighting. Light-emitting diode (LED) lighting (consuming 50% less electricity than fluorescent lighting) also features throughout the building. 

The name of the game is sustainability. Using public transportation is one of a variety of possible sustainable commutes, but know that beyond the buses, vans and streetcars, HART is doing its part for the environment! 

Find out how much you can reduce your carbon footprint by using the Carbon Savings Calculator.

EVERY day is Earth Day at HART!

Earth Month, Earth Day, Earth Week, Earth Hour... days, weeks and hours devoted to Mother Earth. What's it really mean when Earth Month shares April with Cranberries and Gooseberries Month, Straw Hat Month and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Month? Designations that are great company... if you're a gooseberry growing, straw hat wearing, IBS sufferer.

The point is that while it is great that society has taken the time to designate a day in celebration of the Earth, we ask if that's enough? Is one hour, day, week, month or even year good enough to celebrate and create awareness for the protection of the environment?

At HART, EVERY day is Earth Day. We live it, we breathe it, we love it and we're not alone. Environmentalism and public transportation go way back as transit by nature (no pun intended) is green.

One bus can take up 50 cars off the road!

It's easy to see why! Did you know that just one 40-foot bus can take up to 50 gas-guzzling, carbon emissions-spewing cars off the road? How about that a two-car household can reduce their carbon emissions by 4800 pounds or 10% annually, just by switching their commute to public transportation?

Do you love heavy doses of carbon dioxide? Neither does the environment. Carbon dioxide contributes to smog in cities as well as some scientists believing that it contributes to the gradual warming of the Earth. Luckily, public transportation saves 37 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. That number is equivalent to emissions resulting from electricity generated for ALL of the households in D.C., New York City, Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles... combined.

Looking to reduce your carbon footprint?

The great thing is that there are fairly easy ways to reduce your footprint. Check out this Carbon Savings Calculator to see how much you can reduce your carbon footprint by switching part or all your travel to public transportation.

HART Green Initiatives

At HART, we not only help others go green, but we like to practice what we preach. Over the years,

CNG buses reduce carbon monoxide by 90% over diesel

HART has focused on being more environmentally responsible with a number of green initiatives including: transitioning our fleet to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), becoming ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System (EMS) compliant (one of 14 agencies nationwide), solar panels on shelters, kickoff of employee recycling program, recyclable vehicle wash systems and a LEED-certified renovation of our Operations and Maintenance facility.

Want to do your part?

Businesses:

If you're looking to do your part as a business owner, Best Workplaces for Commuters has a top 10 list of ways to help green your employees' commute. The HART Corporate Transit Program may be an option. Federal law entitles all U.S. employers to a completely tax-deductible business expense of up to $255 per employee per month toward the cost of using public transportation.  Funds can also be allocated to vanpooling.

Individuals:

HART is a great way to start doing your part. Not only are you saving the environment, you're also saving money (up to $10,000 a year), reducing congestion and relieving stress.

If you're already riding HART, the next best thing to do is share how easy HART is with a friend. Go green and save some green too!